Extreme cold weather pushed through East Asia this weekend, causing deaths and crippling transportation, according to multiple news sources.
The sudden drop in temperature led to 50 deaths in Taiwan, where many victims were elderly people living in northern cities, the BBC reported. Two fatalities were reported in Japan, too, where heavy snowstorms also led to at least 100 injuries, according to the Japan Times.
Transportation was battered across the region. Snowfall and below freezing temperatures forced the closure of the airport in Jeju, South Korea. Large numbers of tourists were stranded on the usually temperate island, the BBC reported.
Cities across Asia saw mercury drop well below seasonal averages. Beijing had a high of just 9°F (–13°C) on Saturday. Further south, residents of Hong Kong donned heavy coats on Sunday when temperatures dropped to a 60-year low of about 39°F (4°C), according to al-Jazeera.
- Meet TIME’s Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
- After Visiting Both Ends of the Earth, I Realized How Much Trouble We’re In
- Google Is Making It Easier to Remove Personal Info From Search
- Oil Companies Posted Huge Profits. Here’s Where The Cash Will Go (Hint: Not Climate)
- Column: We Asked Hundreds of Americans About Abortion. Their Feelings Were Complicated
- A Short History of the Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of the Marcos Family
- Long-Lasting Birth Control Is Already Hard to Get. Advocates Worry It May Only Get Worse
- Who Should Be on the 2022 TIME100? Vote Now
